IEyeNews

iLocal News Archives

    • US Coast Guard ends search for migrants of capsized vessel off BVI

    Posted on
    The Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark, the Coast Guard's sixth Sentinel Class patrol boat, prepares to arrive at Coast Guard Sector Miami where it will be homeported June 29, 2013. The 154-foot Paul Clark is a Fast Response Cutter capable of independently deploying to conduct missions such as ports, waterways, and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense along the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sabrina Laberdesque.)
    The Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark, the Coast Guard’s sixth Sentinel Class patrol boat, prepares to arrive at Coast Guard Sector Miami where it will be homeported June 29, 2013. The 154-foot Paul Clark is a Fast Response Cutter capable of independently deploying to conduct missions such as ports, waterways, and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense along the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sabrina Laberdesque.)

    From Caribbean News Now

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — US Coast Guard rescue crews ended a four-day search on Saturday for possible survivors of a migrant vessel, which reportedly capsized sometime between the night of July 9, 2016 and last Monday morning in waters between the British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean island of St Maarten.

    Search efforts by rescue crews yielded no signs of additional survivors.

    “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those lost in this tragic incident,” said Capt. Robert W. Warren, Commander of US Coast Guard Sector San Juan.

    Two St Maarten and two Cuban migrants who were traveling aboard the capsized vessel were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel on Monday in waters south of the British Virgin Islands and transported to Virgin Gorda, where they were transferred to island authorities.

    Rescue units collectively searched over 70 operational hours and completed 20 search patterns covering approximately 10,538 square nautical miles, an area approximately the size of the state of Maryland.

    Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan were notified by British Virgin Islands authorities and family members on Wednesday morning of the vessel capsized at sea. One of the survivors reported that the migrant vessel had departed St Maarten on the night of July 9, 2016, on a trip to St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The vessel was carrying 15 Cubans, one Colombian, a Dominican Republic national and two persons from St Maarten when it capsized after the vessel started taking on water.

    An HC-130 aircraft from the 920th Rescue Wing’s 39th Rescue Squadron with a team of Pararescue Jumpers from the from the 308th Rescue Squadron from Patrick Air Force Base flew in support of search efforts Friday, while a WC-130 aircraft from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard’s 156th Airlift Wing searched Saturday.

    The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard supported search efforts with a Dash-8 maritime patrol aircraft, while Virgin Islands Search and Rescue units in the British Virgin Islands and National Park Service Rangers in Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands conducted shoreline searches for possible survivors.

    For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-US-Coast-Guard-ends-search-for-migrants-of-capsized-vessel-off-BVI-31110.html

    IMAGE: coastguardnews.com

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    BREAKING NEWS AND PUBLIC NOTICES

    WEATHER